Is Marwin Gonzalez a lock to make the roster?

[jorgenswest]

In imagining the 26 man roster I have been wondering about Marwin's role on the team since Donaldson arrived. I guess there are the following arguments rostering him.

 

Gonzalez' versatility will keep him on the roster.

 

He certainly was in 2017. I wrote last year that Houston stopped playing him at SS in 2018 and that became clear in July when Correa was injured and instead of sliding in Gonzalez they shuffled around the infield while using him in LF. Last year he played the same number of games at 2B for the Twins as Willians Astudillo. Rocco sees the value in positional flexibility yet he almost never used Gonzalez up the middle. His versatility now may be the corners.

 

Gonzalez' bat will keep him on the roster.

 

He is now two years away from that amazing 2017 season. A season where he saw his swing and miss rate at his all time low of 8%. He returned to his 2015-2016 level last year at 11.1%. Take out 2017 and he puts up a pretty consistent OPS line of 759, 694, 733 and 736. I think at 31 it would be foolish to expect better. Projections have him higher but they use 3-5 years of data and probably don't factor in lack of trash can bangs into their algorithms.

 

Gonzalez veteran presence with success in a World Series will keep him on the roster.

 

The Twins have few players with World Series experience. That must earn respect in the locker room. How much of that respect is lost with his involvement in stealing pitches in 2017? How does he explain his role in cheating to pitchers like Michael Pineda or Rich Hill? Will he have lost the respect of some of his teammates?

 

Gonzalez salary will keep him on the roster.

 

The Twins will be very reluctant to release a player making 9 million off the roster.

 

 

Is a veteran 31 year old that can play LF, RF, 3B and 1B with an OPS of around .730 a lock to make this roster? 

 

[ashbury]

Baseball's a business and the salary he is owed plays a role. It's not decisive by itself, but it raises the bar for when a change would become mandatory. His skills are sufficient for the role he has on the roster. So unless some new allegation in the Astros scandal emerges, I'd say yes, he's a lock.

[rv78]

Would like to see him traded. never cared for him from the beginning. Over-rated by a ton.

[Darius]

If it were up to me, he’d be gone already.

I’d also be having my lawyers look into whether there’s any recourse to recover any of the guaranteed money. He was paid under false pretenses.

If I’m another player that was a free agent at that time and wasn’t cheating, or a pitcher looking to get paid around that time, I’m all over my MLBPA rep in regards to how much money this potentially cost me and what they’re going to do about it. The MLBPA gets their shorts in a wad when teams don’t pay players what they think they should be paid....what about players stealing from each other? If I’m a straight-laced player sharing a locker room the only words I’d share with him is “pay me.”

Screw him.

[mudcat14]

I realize the Twins got a valued return when they traded Eduardo Escobar in 2018.  But when we signed Marwin for the same total money the next off-season, I thought it was a wrong choice.  Especially when you consider EE's contract covered three years as opposed to Marwin's two year deal.  That being said, unless Gonzales can be traded for something of value I assume he's a roster lock.

[bighat]

Yes, he's a lock. Not even a question.

[jorgenswest]

Yes, he's a lock. Not even a question.

Is it a question whether he should be a lock? Does he help the team win more games than Cave or Wade or Rooker? Cave might have a better bat. Wade might have better on base skills. Cave and Wade can play CF. Rooker might be ready.

[chinmusic]

He's a lock with the roster as it stands now, but anything is possible. I mean, Sano was pretty much a (reluctant) lock at third until Donaldson came along. so perhaps Marwin is a trade chip Time will tell.

 

His team friendly contract is the single biggest incentive to retain him, followed by his versatility. His Astros connection is a non factor.

 

 

 

 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I doubt Marwin will be outright released, but I think the association with this Astros scandal makes it a much murkier question than others want to believe.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

He's a lock with the roster as it stands now, but anything is possible. I mean, Sano was pretty much a (reluctant) lock at third until Donaldson came along. so perhaps Marwin is a trade chip Time will tell.

 

His team friendly contract is the single biggest incentive to retain him, followed by his versatility. His Astros connection is a non factor.

I think a team friendly contract would make it easier to cut him—and that’s one thing I really like about this front office, its willingness to eat dead salary (so to speak).

[howieramone2]

There is a better chance of The Turtle making the HOF, than Gonzalez being cut.

[TopGunn#22]

Well, Wade hasn't shown he can hit a lick in the big leagues.  All he does is walk.  Gotta have more than that.  Cave is simply O.K.  He's a lineup guy against RH pitching only.  Rooker is probably a far surperior bat to Marwan but is nowhere near as versatile.  Nick Gordon could put some pressure on Gonzalez, and maybe Adrianza if he keeps hitting like he did last year.  But it's awfully tough to give up a dependable, versatile player like him when you expect to contend.  

[jimbo92107]

I wouldn't call him a lock, not until the Twins have a good look at various guys in spring training. Given the Houston cheating scandal, I would look for any excuse to move on from a guy involved in that sordid affair. Honesty and integrity should be a factor in a player's overall value to the team. 

[bird]

 

Is it a question whether he should be a lock? Does he help the team win more games than Cave or Wade or Rooker? Cave might have a better bat. Wade might have better on base skills. Cave and Wade can play CF. Rooker might be ready.

 

 

I don't know what Falvey is contemplating, but if I were him, I'd be looking at both Cave and Gonzales as players who could possibly fetch a worthwhile return and who both are surplus/redundant. I'd at least be thinking about adding low minors talent and letting Wade, Rooker, Gordon, Raley, Blankenhorn, and Astudillo fight for the spots.

 

I can't help thinking about the fact that Luis Gil, the price we paid for Cave, became NYY's 4th-ranked prospect eventually. That's smart, aggressive asset management.

[howieramone2]

Babe Ruth was definitely a choir boy.

[tvagle]

Marwin is a lock

 

Each team needs some glue guys and Marwin has the WS experience to help in the clubhouse and from most reports he's well liked by the players and their families

 

I know it's not quantifiable or very analytical but his value goes beyond the numbers

 

Twins need guys like Marwin to exemplify what it takes to succeed in Close/Late pressure situations

 

He plays out the contract and then it's time for the young guys to fill in...and...if Gordon or Blankenbopper go off in the Spring and tear things up the Twins can re-evaluate the situation

[nicksaviking]

With the extra roster spot I don’t see a reason to get rid of him from an on field strategic perspective. Only reason they’d cut him loose is if his past is causing clubhouse resentment, which we’ve heard nothing about at this point.

[Riverbrian]

It's a lock

 

[Danchat]

Yeah, I'd say he's a lock. Gonzalez is the team's best backup LF/RF with Cave's outfield blunders holding him back, and he played a really good 3B in Sano's absence. He's also got a bunch of experience of being a quality defender at 1B, unlike Adrianza. Our fielding is not going to be a strong suit in 2020, but Marwin should be able to bump that up a little bit even if he only hits around .730 OPS again.

 

Oh, and now that the roster has expanded to 26 players, there's more room for him. He's owed $9M this year, so while he won't provide the best value per dollar, he won't be a total rip-off.

[24fan-MackPlouffeDonaldson]

Valid thought, but yes, he is a lock.  He was by far their best INF defender last year and is a very good once a week starter in LF and RF when all are healthy.  He is a big-time bilingual presence in that healthy clubhouse, as well.  Yes, the Houston stuff is a stain on him, but he seems like the kind of teammate that will address it with his peers, just not the media and fans.  He is a very sound baseball player and a good one to have on a team like this one.  I envision him finishing many games at 1B or LF this season with fewer ABs than his previous 4-5 seasons. 

[ChrisKnutson]

Is there such thing as forgiveness??

[Richie the Rally Goat]

It never occurred to me that Marwin might not be a lock until the OP.

 

There’s now a shadow of a doubt in my mind...

[notoriousgod71]

I wonder if the Astros board is discussing whether Altuve and Springer should be on the roster this season.

[Old Twins Cap]

 

Yes, the Houston stuff is a stain on him, but he seems like the kind of teammate that will address it with his peers, just not the media and fans.  

 

So, he's going to acknowledge that he cheated all of MLB to his teammates?

 

He did the trash can thing more than any other player on the Astros according to a guy who carefully analyzed all available video/audio. And it really helped Marwin's game.

 

There are times in life when you cross a threshold of integrity, of pretending to be one thing and knowing deep-down that you are someone completely different. If that gulf means nothing at that time, how do you now get your self-respect and integrity back?

 

It's a major character flaw that can't be repaired, IMHO. Not when you did it in front of the entire world.

 

Winning the World Series with Marwin playing any kind of role on the Twins at this point is just bad karma. Move on from him.

[ewen21]

 

So, he's going to acknowledge that he cheated all of MLB to his teammates?

 

He did the trash can thing more than any other player on the Astros according to a guy who carefully analyzed all available video/audio. And it really helped Marwin's game.

 

There are times in life when you cross a threshold of integrity, of pretending to be one thing and knowing deep-down that you are someone completely different. If that gulf means nothing at that time, how do you now get your self-respect and integrity back?

 

It's a major character flaw that can't be repaired, IMHO. Not when you did it in front of the entire world.

 

Winning the World Series with Marwin playing any kind of role on the Twins at this point is just bad karma. Move on from him.

I know he got a few hits in the Yankees series (which is more than I can say for anyone not name Arraez or CRuz), but something about him during that series rubbed me the wrong way.  Giggling at first base with the Yankees during all that a few times just stuck in my craw.

 

Discard him.  I don't want him on this team, not in light of that breakdown of how involved he was.

[Mr. Brooks]

I wonder if the Astros board is discussing whether Altuve and Springer should be on the roster this season.

Altuve and Stringer aren't 93 OPS+ utility players.

[jorgenswest]

 

I wonder if the Astros board is discussing whether Altuve and Springer should be on the roster this season.

 

I wouldn't be for those two on the Twins board either.

 

He is a corner player likely to have an OPS around .730 at age 31. The super utility player with a .900 OPS is not returning. 

 

Reading through comments I do believe he is the best 4th OF option but he has little room to decline and Kirilloff or Larnach could be ready by midseason.

[stringer bell]

It's up to the league to discipline any players involved, not the teams. Gonzalez was a good, well respected teammate, who was valuable on the 2019 Twins team. I would expect a similar performance this year in probably fewer plate appearances. 

 

If the league does nothing, Gonzalez' penalty will come with his next contract, most likely. At 32, he may not even get a major league contract especially if his offense doesn't improve in 2020, and his spike in 2017 will be chalked up to cheating.

 

Before we get too ethical, remember there are three other players on the roster who were suspending for cheating with PEDs or their masking agent. Whether cheating with drugs or stealing pitches, IMHO cheating is cheating. If we can forgive Cruz, Polanco and Pineda maybe the same should be done for Gonzalez.

[Squirrel]

It's up to the league to discipline any players involved, not the teams. Gonzalez was a good, well respected teammate, who was valuable on the 2019 Twins team. I would expect a similar performance this year in probably fewer plate appearances.

 

If the league does nothing, Gonzalez' penalty will come with his next contract, most likely. At 32, he may not even get a major league contract especially if his offense doesn't improve in 2020, and his spike in 2017 will be chalked up to cheating.

 

Before we get too ethical, remember there are three other players on the roster who were suspending for cheating with PEDs or their masking agent. Whether cheating with drugs or stealing pitches, IMHO cheating is cheating. If we can forgive Cruz, Polanco and Pineda maybe the same should be done for Gonzalez.

That’s not really the same thing ... Polanco, Cruz and Pineda faced penalties for what they did. Some could argue it wasn’t enough, but they faced charges according to the rules. No players have yet to be punished for their part in the sign-stealing cheating. I agree that after this contract, Marwin’s career could be over, so maybe the league will take care of it that way. But until which time the league decides what to do with players involved, or his play on field declines, or his presence is an actual disruption in the clubhouse (and not our speculation that it will be), the FO will not do anything but let it play out. So, he’s on the team until he isn’t.

[Shane Wahl]

Absolutely a lock, and all of the reasons mentioned are good ones. And his defensive value should not be understated. April was terrible in 2019, and has been a problem throughout his career. Of course he should also be trade bait at some point, barring injury to regulars.